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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: chip · plane · ball · safe · pop · dip · last · degree

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. degree — from a university
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — final
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ball — a dance
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — to visit
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pop — music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ball — a great time
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. last — to go on
  23. degree — an amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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