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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cell — a phone
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a path
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — a subject
  15. kid — child
  16. field — farmland
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a song
  20. field — for sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in biology

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