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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 120 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: snap · chip · season · safe · degree · file · ground · wake

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ground — the earth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. season — of the year
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. file — a document
  14. season — in sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. file — a tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. snap — to click

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