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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 120 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: fan · rest · squash · cell · club · lean · chip · degree

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — for betting
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lean — thin
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — a break
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cell — in biology
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — an amount

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