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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: hide · chip · game · degree · plane · mug · mark · shower

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — wild animals
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — to rob
  13. plane — a tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mark — a grade
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mug — a face
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — temperature
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. shower — to wash

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