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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: pitcher · saw · scale · deal · land · band · degree · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — temperature
  7. land — to come down
  8. scale — in music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — size or range
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. land — ground
  18. degree — from a university
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — to eat
  24. saw — the tool

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