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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: cold · press · rule · present · deal · bore · land · squash

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. deal — to handle
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — a gift
  6. cold — not warm
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cold — an illness
  9. present — the time now
  10. squash — to crush
  11. press — to push
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. present — there
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to drill
  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