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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. band — a ring
  17. kid — child
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — in cards
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a music group
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. hand — part of the body

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