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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · racket · squash · plane · chair · ground

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — a tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. ground — a position
  13. squash — the sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — a leader
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chair — a professorship

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