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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: foot · rule · roll · degree · chip · nail · band · chair

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. band — a ring
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. degree — temperature
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — a measure
  14. band — a music group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — an amount
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — government
  23. roll — a list
  24. rule — a law

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