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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chip — for betting
  3. degree — temperature
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. court — of law
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. chip — to eat
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. race — a contest
  17. court — for sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chair — a leader

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