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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: degree · mate · press · stick · squash · chip

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — an amount
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chip — to eat
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. press — newspapers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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