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

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rush — hurry
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — help
  9. kid — child
  10. cap — a hat
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. foot — a measure
  17. swing — in golf
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. swing — music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — of ice

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