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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 116 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: racket · press · rock · degree · rush · land · squash · lie

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — to come down
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — from a university
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — a country
  18. press — to push
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lie — to recline

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