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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: sharp · bat · chip · bound · key · degree · roll · hand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. degree — an amount
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chip — to eat
  20. roll — a list
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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