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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · squash · kick · hide · bass · march · row · press

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — to paddle
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — the fish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — the month
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. press — a publisher
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — to crush
  24. press — to push

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