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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 · toast · pit · object · board · cold · bay · degree

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. board — to get on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. object — to protest
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. object — a thing
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — for betting
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — in a race
  16. toast — bread
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — to eat
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. degree — an amount
  22. object — an aim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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