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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chip — for betting
  4. squash — the sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ground — a position
  10. tube — a container
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lean — thin
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitcher — a jug

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