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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — to handle
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — a match
  11. chair — a leader
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. staff — employees
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. squash — the sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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