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

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — to breed
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — to go on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mate — a partner
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — a leader
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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