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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — to come down
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chair — a leader
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. land — a country

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