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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: dip · mark · bowl · land · hand · fine · degree · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fine — high quality
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mark — a grade
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fine — all right
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. land — a country
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. land — ground
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — help
  24. chip — to eat

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