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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hand — in cards
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. chair — a leader
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. plane — a tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — a container
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. charge — a price
  24. prune — to trim

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