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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. key — in music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — to eat
  6. key — for a lock
  7. swing — to play on
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — a lid
  17. key — the most important part
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — ground
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cap — a hat

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