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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 · kick · object · kid · coach

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. object — an aim
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. chip — for betting
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. degree — temperature
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chip — to eat
  18. degree — an amount

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