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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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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 · clip · bay · rush · cold · squash · kick · press

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — to cut
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. kick — in football
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. foot — the bottom

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