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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. degree — temperature
  5. scale — size or range
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a ring
  8. sharp — clever
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — in music
  21. net — in sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chip — to eat
  24. degree — an amount

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