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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: last · squash · object · press · chest · clip · pass · mug

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. last — final
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — finally
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. object — a thing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. press — to push
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. object — to protest
  16. mug — to rob
  17. clip — a video
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pass — a permit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — to go on
  23. object — an aim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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