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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chair — a leader
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. branch — a division
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stand — on your feet

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