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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chip — to eat
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. shower — rain
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chip — for betting
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — an amount
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — a path
  16. can — a tin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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