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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: row · press · court · dip · season · roll · tear · squash

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of a king
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — newspapers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tear — to rip
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — a publisher
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — in sport
  18. press — to push
  19. row — a line
  20. season — of the year
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tear — from crying
  24. dip — to sink

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