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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: firm · kick · land · cabinet · march · squash · press · pop

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. march — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — in football
  4. pop — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. firm — decided
  7. land — a country
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. land — ground
  10. press — to push
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. land — to come down
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. firm — a company
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — to visit
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. firm — steady
  23. press — newspapers
  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