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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: game · field · chip · degree · sharp · deal · can · current

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — farmland
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chip — to eat
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — a match
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — wild animals
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — an agreement

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