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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to bend
  5. object — to protest
  6. chip — to eat
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tube — a container
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. object — an aim
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lean — thin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. object — a thing
  24. tube — the underground

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