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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: ruler · club · deal · land · suit · chip · degree · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chip — to eat
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chip — for betting
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. club — a group
  9. land — a country
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. deal — to handle
  12. land — ground
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — from a university
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — temperature
  20. suit — to fit
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wind — moving air

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