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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: present · degree · roll · trunk · wind · squash · safe · chip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. roll — a list
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chip — to eat
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. roll — a cake
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — the time now
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. present — there
  16. squash — the sport
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. present — a gift

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