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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: mate · mouse · content · arm · land · squash · press · rule

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — the amount
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — government
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. land — to come down
  11. press — to push
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. land — a country
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mate — a friend
  21. land — ground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

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