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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. degree — an amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rock — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — a position
  9. chip — to eat
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. degree — from a university
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rock — a stone
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. chip — for betting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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