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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. staff — a stick
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. last — final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — finally
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. last — to go on
  21. chip — to eat
  22. staff — employees
  23. content — happy
  24. stem — to come from

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