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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: lash · degree · chip · kid · staff · pound · perch · rock

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — a stick
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pound — a weight
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — an amount

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