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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: roll · wave · degree · present · game · swing · chip · net

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — in sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. roll — a list
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — for catching
  13. present — there
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — a match
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — after costs
  24. roll — a cake

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