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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — a lid
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. degree — an amount
  6. game — wild animals
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. game — a match
  9. band — a ring
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — to eat
  16. craft — boats
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — part of the head
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. band — a music group
  24. face — to point toward

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