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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 116 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: stand · squash · chip · fork · degree · file · key · land

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. key — in music
  6. fork — in a road
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. key — the most important part
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. file — a tool

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