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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. board — a committee
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kid — child
  6. last — final
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — for betting
  11. last — to go on
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — the most important part
  15. kid — to tease
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — finally
  21. chip — to eat
  22. roll — a list
  23. staff — a stick
  24. roll — on a roll

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