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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.

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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: field · board · firm · staff · hide · chair · wake · squash

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — steady
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — a subject
  16. staff — employees
  17. firm — a company
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. staff — employees
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  24. board — to get 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