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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. degree — temperature
  3. game — a match
  4. chip — for betting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — the season
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. march — the month
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. craft — boats
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — from a university

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