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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: chip · degree · swing · squash · foot · wound · stand · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. swing — to play on
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chip — to eat
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stand — to bear
  14. object — an aim
  15. swing — in golf
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. squash — the sport
  19. object — a thing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wound — an injury
  22. swing — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. degree — from a university

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