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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. dip — to sink
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ground — a position
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. march — music
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — from a university

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