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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chip — for betting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — exactly

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