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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — a stick
  4. degree — temperature
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. land — to come down
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — from a university
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chip — for betting
  16. land — a country
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a match

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