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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — size or range
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. key — for a lock
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. scale — in music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kid — to tease
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rock — music
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kid — child

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