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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 120 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: firm · degree · cue · chip · charge · pop · cabinet · saw

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — a price
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. cue — for pool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cue — a hint
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pop — soda
  22. charge — in control
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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