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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 · arm · cap · rule · bass · press · game · mug

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — a law
  6. game — a match
  7. press — to push
  8. bass — low music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. squash — to crush
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — government
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mug — a face
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. press — newspapers
  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