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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chair — a leader
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — to crush
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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