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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bound — certain
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. last — final
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chip — to eat
  21. last — to go on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — before a funeral

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