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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. drill — army training
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. row — to paddle
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — to rob
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chip — to eat
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — a face
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — a friend
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a line
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mate — to breed

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