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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · squash · ball · coach · swing · mouse · press · fork

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. swing — music
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the sport
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — a publisher
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mouse — the animal

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