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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: stick · chip · court · march · saw · rest · mug · degree

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. chip — for betting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. mug — to rob
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. march — the month

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