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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ball — a dance
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — employees

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