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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: squash · coach · content · key · press · row · wake · snap

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to click
  3. content — the amount
  4. row — a line
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — a publisher
  7. content — happy
  8. press — to push
  9. wake — a trail
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — the most important part
  19. squash — to crush
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. key — in music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — the vegetable

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