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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. chip — for betting

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