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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a 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. chip — in a computer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — after costs
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kick — in football
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — for catching
  23. cold — an illness
  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