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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. march — music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. squash — the vegetable

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