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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. chair — a leader
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. deal — a big deal

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