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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: date · object · press · cabinet · chip · wave · cue · degree

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. object — to protest
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. object — a thing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cue — a hint
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — to push

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