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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — for dancing
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — child
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. court — of a king
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for golf

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