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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: roll · mark · chip · dip · cold · bulb · degree · track

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bulb — for light
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — for betting
  9. track — to keep track
  10. degree — an amount
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — temperature
  15. chip — to eat
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. track — a song
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. track — a path
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chip — in a computer

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