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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — for betting
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — army training
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mark — a grade
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — temperature
  24. drill — the tool

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