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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: degree · chair · mine · safe · stand · squash · roll · stick

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — for digging
  10. squash — the sport
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chair — a leader
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — to bear
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stand — for spectators

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