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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — a measure
  7. object — to protest
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — to eat
  13. clip — for paper
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. craft — boats
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com