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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. board — a committee
  3. band — a music group
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kid — child
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. board — to get on
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. charge — a price
  19. field — farmland
  20. charge — electricity
  21. court — of a king
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — for sport
  24. court — of law

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