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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — for betting
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a path
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fork — in a road
  15. degree — an amount
  16. track — a song
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — a leader

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