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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: pitch · staff · deal · shower · stick · chip · degree · fan

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — a stick
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — an amount
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. degree — temperature

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