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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.

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: snap · press · suit · squash · hand · clip · ground · arm

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ground — crushed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. suit — to fit
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to click
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. press — newspapers
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. suit — clothes

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