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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a match
  4. board — a committee
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — a position
  10. bound — obliged
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — certain
  22. staff — a stick
  23. board — to get on
  24. ground — crushed

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