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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: ruler · kid · clip · march · bay · snap · squash · press

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — a video
  6. squash — the sport
  7. march — the month
  8. kid — child
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — newspapers
  14. clip — to cut
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to click
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. kid — to tease
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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