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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stand — to bear
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cap — a hat

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