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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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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: staff · chair · hide · squash · fork · track · swing · firm

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. swing — music
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — to play on
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a path
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. track — a song

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