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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — for paper
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. season — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. clip — a video
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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