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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · press · row · pop · bat · bass · dip · squash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. press — a publisher
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. bass — low music
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. press — to push
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bat — the animal

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