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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — a company
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — to come down
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — a country
  9. firm — steady
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stand — to bear
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rest — a break
  15. firm — decided
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — to crush
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. squash — the sport
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. arm — a part of something

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