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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: rush · stick · chip · cabinet · plane · rule · degree · wave

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — government
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rush — hurry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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