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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 124 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — a thing
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pop — soda
  9. board — to get on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. content — happy
  16. degree — an amount
  17. branch — a division
  18. object — an aim
  19. degree — from a university
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. content — the amount
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pop — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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