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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 · pitch · chip · degree · wound · bat · tear · ruler

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bat — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — of a river
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wound — an injury

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