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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — an aim
  3. plane — a tool
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. ground — the earth
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. squash — the sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. chair — a leader
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ground — a position
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wind — moving air

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