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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — for paper
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. press — a publisher
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. press — to push
  18. kick — in football
  19. drill — army training
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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