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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 120 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: stick · stand · kick · press · bat · squash

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. press — a publisher
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. squash — the sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — to push

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