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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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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: foot · firm · calf · content · press · jam · cold · rest

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — a publisher
  6. foot — a measure
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. firm — a company
  9. press — to push
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — a break
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cold — not warm
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. firm — steady
  17. rest — what's left
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. content — happy
  20. press — newspapers
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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