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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: chip · mate · degree · bound · lash · swing · cue · bat

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — an amount
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cue — a hint
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bound — certain
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lash — to lash out

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