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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: hide · chair · field · nail · plane · cue · squash · perch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — a hint
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — the sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — farmland
  24. cue — for pool

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