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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. track — a path
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pit — in a race
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rash — hasty
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kid — child
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. can — a tin

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