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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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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: safe · field · face · deal · chip · degree · wave · fork

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chip — to eat
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — an amount
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — part of the head
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. face — to confront
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. degree — temperature

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