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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — boats
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cell — a phone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — in biology

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