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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pop — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — to play on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. swing — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. swing — in golf
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — child
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a committee

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