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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 · spell · cabinet · deal · chip · field · pitcher · content

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — from a university
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — a subject
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. content — happy
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. content — the amount
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — videos and posts
  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