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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a cup
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. snap — to click
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mug — a face
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — in a computer

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