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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rule — a law
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rule — government
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. degree — temperature

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