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

Word bank: chip · degree · deal · bat · present · staff

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bat — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. present — there
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — a gift
  16. degree — temperature
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. staff — employees

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