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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. band — a music group
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. chip — to eat
  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