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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: chest · wave · cabinet · chip · can · snap · degree · board

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. snap — to click
  3. board — a committee
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. board — to get on
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chip — to eat
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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