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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: sharp · fine · cold · squash · ruler · plane · kid · press

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. plane — a tool
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. squash — to crush
  4. press — to push
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kid — child
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — clever
  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