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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — for sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — farmland
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — a subject
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — for pool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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