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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: bay · press · calf · file · arm · hide · date · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — the sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. press — newspapers
  17. date — the fruit
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. press — to push
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. calf — of the leg

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