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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hand — help
  3. club — for golf
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. club — a group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. chair — a leader
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. drill — a practice
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pass — a permit

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