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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chip — to eat
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. capital — a city
  17. craft — boats
  18. bore — to tire
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. leaves — of a tree

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