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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. branch — a division
  10. ground — a position
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bat — for baseball

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