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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: rush · rock · mine · squash · pitch · fork · straw · press

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rock — music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. press — to push
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mine — an explosive

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