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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — a tin
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a document
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — employees
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. staff — a stick
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cell — a phone

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