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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: current · ruler · degree · chip · ground · row · patient · foot

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. current — electric
  3. chip — to eat
  4. foot — a measure
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ground — crushed
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — the earth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. current — happening now
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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