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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: lash · chip · march · bay · squash · plane · press · cue

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cue — for pool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a signal
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. plane — a tool
  17. press — to push
  18. cue — a hint
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chip — in a computer

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