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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bear — the animal
  3. plane — a tool
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kid — child
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. swing — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bound — certain
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. plane — in geometry

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