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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: chip · swing · present · rule · degree · land

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. chip — for betting
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — in golf
  8. land — to come down
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. land — ground
  11. rule — government
  12. present — a gift
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — to eat
  16. present — the time now
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chip — in a computer

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