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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 120 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: lie · rush · press · temple · march · capital · net · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — hurry
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — a city
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. squash — the sport
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — money
  22. press — newspapers
  23. march — the month
  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