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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: last · rush · mouse · rule · cabinet · squash · dip · land

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. squash — to crush
  11. last — final
  12. rule — a law
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — to come down
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — a country

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