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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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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: squash · cell · degree · chip · cabinet · roll · race · branch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — in biology
  4. race — a contest
  5. degree — from a university
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — the sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. roll — a cake
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. race — the arms race
  24. degree — an amount

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