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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — to eat
  6. season — of the year
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — in sport
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spring — of water
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chip — for betting
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — the season

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