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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: roll · ground · kid · degree · press · chip · content · squash

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chip — for betting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — child
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — newspapers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. press — to push
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. roll — a list
  18. content — the amount
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. roll — a cake
  22. press — a publisher
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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