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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — a grade
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chip — for betting
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — the tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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