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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · track · cabinet · spell · court · press · toast

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. press — to push
  3. cold — not warm
  4. toast — bread
  5. court — of a king
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — for sport
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. press — newspapers
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of law
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — an illness
  16. squash — to crush
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. press — a publisher
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — a short time

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