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

Word bank: bat · squash · bank · rule · firm · fall · fork · racket

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. firm — decided
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bank — for money
  6. firm — steady
  7. fall — the season
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rule — a law
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — for money
  20. rule — government
  21. fork — in a road
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. firm — a company

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