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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. kid — to tease
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — a position
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mug — a cup
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a committee
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — child
  20. field — for sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. band — a ring

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