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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: rest · firm · straw · degree · ground · pound · net · chip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — for betting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. firm — a company
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. net — for catching
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. degree — temperature
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ground — a position
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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