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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: dip · saw · net · cold · press · squash · stock · toast

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. toast — bread
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. net — after costs
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. net — in sport
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. cold — not warm

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