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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chip — to eat
  5. charge — in control
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — for betting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — a price
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. chip — in a computer

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