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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cell — a phone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — a publisher
  14. track — a path
  15. fork — in a road
  16. track — a song
  17. board — a committee
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. press — to push
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cell — in a prison

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