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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. bound — tied together

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