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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 · rule · fan · chair · face · mouse · pound · row

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rule — government
  13. squash — the sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. row — to paddle

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