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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — a law
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. board — a committee
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — low music
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. track — a path
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a song
  22. bass — the fish
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. rule — government

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