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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: bear · deal · rock · ball · chip · jam · degree · shower

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. 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. degree — from a university
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — an amount
  6. shower — rain
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bear — the animal
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ball — a great time
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chip — to eat
  22. deal — to handle
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. 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