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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — temperature

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