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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mug — a face
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. object — a thing
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — an aim
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wave — of the sea

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