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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: court · spring · file · object · press · lash · pit · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. press — to push
  3. press — a publisher
  4. file — a line of people
  5. object — a thing
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. object — an aim
  11. court — for sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — the season
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. press — newspapers
  16. squash — the sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — in a race
  21. object — to protest
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spring — a coil

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