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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — farmland
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — a face
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mug — to rob
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — for sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. nail — on a finger

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