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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — finally
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. race — the arms race
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. race — a contest
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mug — to rob
  19. last — final
  20. race — humankind
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fork — in a road

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