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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. degree — temperature
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chip — to eat
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. snap — to click
  18. fine — all right
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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