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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chip — to eat
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — a law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — low music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rule — government
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. current — electric
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. scale — in music
  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