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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. degree — an amount
  6. squash — the sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. shower — rain
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rule — government
  11. chip — to eat
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. swing — music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rule — a law

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