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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — help
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chair — a professorship

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