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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 116 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: rule · bore · wake · degree · stock · fan · pitcher · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — goods
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — government

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