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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. charge — a price
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. row — a line
  7. charge — in control
  8. cap — a hat
  9. last — final
  10. charge — electricity
  11. present — the time now
  12. cap — a lid
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — finally
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — there
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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