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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. degree — temperature
  7. net — in sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pit — in a race
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. race — humankind
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. chip — to eat
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chip — for betting

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