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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 120 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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rule — government
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. press — to push

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