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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: rush · can · chip · object · straw · squash · degree · field

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — a subject
  6. object — a thing
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — the sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — an amount
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — to be able to
  23. field — farmland
  24. object — an aim

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