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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ball — a dance
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — part of the body

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