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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — for betting
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. degree — temperature
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — help
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chip — to eat
  18. track — a song
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — to grow
  24. sharp — clever

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