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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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chip — to eat
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — a container
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kick — in football
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. degree — from a university
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rash — hasty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chip — for betting

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