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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: cell · roll · stock · wake · squash · stand · degree · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chip — to eat
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cell — a phone
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stock — goods
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stock — shares
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — for betting
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. squash — the sport
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — a trail

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