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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — to push
  4. net — after costs
  5. swing — in golf
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — for catching
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — a division
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. date — on the calendar
  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