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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. press — to push
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — ground
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rule — a law
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — a line
  19. rush — hurry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. land — to come down
  22. row — to paddle
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — government

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