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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. current — electric
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — a gift
  5. degree — temperature
  6. current — happening now
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — farmland
  11. chip — to eat
  12. present — there
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — rain
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — for sport
  23. present — the time now
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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