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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · club · calf · mug · nail · chip · wound · land

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. land — a country
  10. club — a group
  11. mug — a face
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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