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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — help
  9. march — the month
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. march — music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kick — in football
  24. chair — a leader

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