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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for dancing
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. club — a group
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — humankind
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. club — for golf
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pass — to succeed

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