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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ground — a position
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — from a university
  6. fall — the season
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — an explosive

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