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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 · dip · rock · degree · face · staff · hand · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rock — a stone
  4. staff — employees
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. face — part of the head
  21. staff — employees
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. dip — to sink

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