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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. object — a thing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. club — for dancing
  13. squash — the sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. object — to protest
  18. field — farmland
  19. chair — a leader
  20. plane — a tool
  21. key — in music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — for a lock
  24. object — an aim

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