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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — humankind
  5. degree — temperature
  6. race — the arms race
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — for betting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. net — in sport

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