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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. key — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. key — the most important part
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. degree — temperature
  20. roll — a list
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chip — for betting
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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