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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: degree · lie · sharp · stick · fork · date · bulb · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chip — for betting

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