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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: fall · wound · pitcher · squash · press · fine · stock · rule

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stock — goods
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — to push
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — shares
  20. rule — government
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — high quality
  24. squash — to crush

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