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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: chip · mate · wave · lash · degree · swing · mug · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mug — a face
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chip — to eat
  23. degree — from a university
  24. chip — for betting

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