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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 · firm · arm · ball · kick · track · cell · wind

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. firm — steady
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — to push
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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