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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: chip · craft · club · degree · object · snap · current · hide

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. current — happening now
  3. craft — a skill
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — electric
  6. club — for golf
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — an aim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — of water
  12. craft — boats
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. object — a thing
  18. snap — to click
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. object — to protest
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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