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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 120 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 · hide · fork · squash · mouse · kick · kid · firm

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. firm — decided
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. firm — a company
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — to tease
  15. firm — steady
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. kick — in football
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fork — in a road
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hide — animal skin

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