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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: last · degree · chip · bay · saw · staff · row · chest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. staff — employees
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chip — to eat
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — to go on
  15. staff — a stick
  16. last — finally
  17. chip — for betting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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