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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: swing · cue · rash · shower · board · chip · perch · degree

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cue — a hint
  4. board — a committee
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cue — for pool
  8. board — to get on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — a series
  11. chip — for betting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. swing — in golf
  14. degree — an amount
  15. shower — rain
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rash — hasty
  24. swing — music

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