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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: key · squash · ruler · press · lash · ground · chair · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chair — a leader
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ground — a position
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. key — the most important part
  21. press — to push
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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