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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. spell — magic
  2. game — a match
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. suit — to fit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kid — child
  14. snap — to click
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — hasty
  18. suit — in cards
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — to tease
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — a series
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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