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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 · bass · squash · kick · face · bay · cold · arm

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. press — newspapers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. face — to confront
  10. cold — an illness
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. face — to point toward
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cold — not warm
  17. kick — in football
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — to push
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bass — low music

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