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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: hand · deal · chip · pound · shower · file · mug · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. deal — to handle
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a document
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a tool
  21. hand — help
  22. mug — a face
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. shower — to wash

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