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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a music group
  11. rule — a law
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rule — government
  18. firm — steady
  19. press — a publisher
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. squash — the sport
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. press — newspapers

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