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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chair · leaves · staff · date · patient · sharp · squash

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — to crush
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. sharp — clever
  14. date — the fruit
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — employees
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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