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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. press — to push
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — low music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. press — newspapers
  24. squash — to crush

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