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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rash — hasty
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. squash — to crush
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — the most important part
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. foot — a measure
  18. hand — help
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. key — in music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — a series

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