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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: fan · scale · press · wind · cabinet · squash · ball · pitcher

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. press — a publisher

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