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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. craft — a skill
  4. last — finally
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ball — a great time
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. shower — to wash
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — boats
  19. last — to go on
  20. ball — a dance
  21. last — final
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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