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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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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 · mouse · degree · wake · club · racket · kid · ruler

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. club — a group
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. club — for golf
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. kid — child

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