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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · rash · saw · mug · court · plane · chair · content

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. rash — a series
  6. content — happy
  7. mug — a face
  8. chair — a leader
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. court — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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