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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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. degree — an amount
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. march — music
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — to bear
  8. spell — letters
  9. cue — for pool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. march — the month

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