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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: wound · degree · saw · jam · chip · perch · rule · fall

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. degree — from a university
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rule — government
  12. fall — the season
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rule — a law
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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