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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: chest · dip · last · fine · roll · rock · rush · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fine — all right
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rock — music
  15. rush — hurry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chest — a box
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — a cake
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. roll — a list

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