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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 · cold · foot · arm · mark · rest · lash · pop

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pop — soda
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. press — to push
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pop — to visit

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