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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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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: wave · cabinet · ruler · chip · degree · rest · squash · wake

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rest — a break
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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