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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 120 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 · ground · nail · present · lean · degree · current · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — happening now
  9. mate — a friend
  10. present — a gift
  11. chip — to eat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. present — there
  16. ground — a position
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. degree — temperature
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — to bend
  24. present — the time now

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