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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: foot · press · pitcher · race · squash · temple · bowl · wound

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — humankind
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — to crush
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. press — to push
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. race — a contest
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — the sport
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — a publisher

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