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

Word bank: squash · foot · staff · race · fork · chair · season · date

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fork — in a road
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — in sport
  12. staff — a stick
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. race — a contest
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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