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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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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: trunk · stand · race · capital · chip · squash · press · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. race — humankind
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. press — to push
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. press — newspapers
  18. race — the arms race
  19. capital — money
  20. race — a contest
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. capital — a city

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