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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: press · wind · firm · foot · bay · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — decided
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. firm — steady
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — to go on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. firm — a company

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