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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a song
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — of the year
  16. squash — to crush
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — a path
  21. rest — a break
  22. season — in sport
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a dance

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