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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. staff — employees
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wound — an injury
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. track — a path
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. season — of the year

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