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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chip — to eat
  7. last — final
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a trace
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — to go on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — finally

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