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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: press · bear · squash · bound · chip · court · rule · track

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chip — for betting
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. track — a path
  18. press — newspapers
  19. court — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bound — tied together
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rule — government

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