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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mug — a face
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mug — to rob

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