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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · degree · land · wake · bore · present · chip · staff

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chip — for betting
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — a country
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to drill
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. land — ground
  13. bore — to tire
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — a trail
  16. present — there
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. present — the time now
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — before a funeral

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