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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: cold · squash · saw · track · fine · press · stand · nail

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — a path
  12. stand — to bear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. press — a publisher
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — an illness
  22. squash — the sport
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. press — to push

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