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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. degree — from a university
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — to handle
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — of the year
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fine — a penalty

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