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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.

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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: squash · march · roll · mug · net · deal · spell · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — the sport
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mug — a cup
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. roll — a list
  9. mug — a face
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mug — to rob
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rule — government
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. net — in sport

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