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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: bank · cold · chip · degree · stick · toast · kick · chest

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bank — for money
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kick — in football
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — bread
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chest — of your body

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