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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — a coil
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rule — a law
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rule — government
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — bread
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — of water

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