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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rash — a series
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — happy
  23. scale — in music
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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