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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — to tease
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — child
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — a leader
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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