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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. squash — to crush
  6. press — to push
  7. court — of law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of a king
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. squash — the sport
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — for sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lean — thin

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