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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: cue · wave · chip · cold · mouse · key · degree · game

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. game — a match
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cue — for pool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cue — a hint
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — for betting
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chip — in a computer

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