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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — in sport
  9. track — a path
  10. press — to push
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — a song
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mug — a cup
  21. track — to keep track
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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