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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: rash · lie · deal · board · march · squash · rush · press

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — to recline
  12. march — music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rush — hurry
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. board — to get on
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — to crush
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. board — a committee

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