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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — a container
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. drill — army training
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — final
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — the underground
  24. drill — the tool

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