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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: track · nail · chip · dip · pitch · present · degree · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. chip — to eat
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — a gift
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitch — completely
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. present — there

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