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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ground — crushed
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — child
  7. suit — to fit
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. suit — in cards
  15. board — to get on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. branch — a division
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ground — a position

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