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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · squash · cabinet · chair · bowl · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rule — a law
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lean — thin
  18. squash — the vegetable

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