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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 · mouse · stick · squash · lash · present · chair · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. present — there
  22. press — to push
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. press — a publisher

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