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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. object — an aim
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. object — a thing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fork — to eat with

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