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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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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: chair · season · hide · temple · key · kid · squash · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kid — to tease
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kid — child
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. season — to add flavour

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