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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 120 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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chip — to eat
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chip — for betting
  5. row — a line
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — to paddle
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lie — to recline
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. object — to protest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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