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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — to eat
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kid — child
  7. chip — for betting
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — to breed
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kid — to tease
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stock — goods
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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