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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · cell · nail · degree · chip · staff

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fall — the season
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. degree — temperature
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cell — in biology

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