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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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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: lean · chip · ball · suit · wind · degree · bear · mate

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chip — to eat
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lean — thin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bear — the animal

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