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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: press · squash · rash · rock · club · net · suit · saw

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — the sport
  7. club — a group
  8. rock — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. club — for golf
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. suit — in cards
  19. club — for dancing
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — to crush
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — newspapers

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