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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. suit — clothes
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — to push
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. suit — in cards
  14. ball — a dance
  15. last — finally
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — the sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. suit — to fit
  24. racket — for tennis

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