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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. suit — clothes
  4. squash — the sport
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wake — a trail
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. court — of a king
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. suit — to fit
  16. court — for sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chair — a leader
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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