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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fine — all right
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. degree — an amount
  8. row — a line
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bound — obliged
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bound — tied together

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