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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. last — finally
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. last — to go on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. last — final
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. squash — to crush
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ball — a round shape

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