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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. press — to push
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — newspapers
  11. squash — the sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — hasty
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. degree — temperature
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — a series
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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