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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. object — to protest
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. object — a thing
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stem — to come from
  18. object — an aim
  19. game — a match
  20. chest — a box
  21. game — wild animals
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cue — a signal

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