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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. object — an aim
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. object — to protest
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — a weight
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mate — a friend
  18. squash — the sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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