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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
468
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: squash · spell · game · can · mine · press · straw · cabinet

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. squash — the sport
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — wild animals
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. squash — to crush
  24. straw — dry grass

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