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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bank — for money
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. press — newspapers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. press — to push
  15. ball — a dance
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ball — a great time

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