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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 116 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: ruler · cold · cell · fall · degree · chip · coach · craft

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — a phone
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. craft — boats
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — the season

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