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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. row — a line
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mate — a friend
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. row — to paddle
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ground — the earth
  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