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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. key — in music
  6. object — a thing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. key — for a lock
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. object — an aim

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