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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rest — a break
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lean — to bend
  7. charge — in control
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — thin
  13. deal — to handle
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — to crush
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rest — what's left

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