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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 120 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 · firm · rule · hand · rash · march · key · pop

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — the month
  9. firm — a company
  10. pop — soda
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rule — a law
  15. key — for a lock
  16. firm — decided
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rule — government
  19. key — in music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — help
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — to rule out

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