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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: cold · squash · rest · wind · press · jam · racket · temple

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cold — not warm
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cold — an illness
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. rest — a break
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. squash — the sport

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