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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. scale — in music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — from a university
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — child
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chip — to eat
  24. degree — an amount

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