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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · chair · bat · key · kid · game · arm · plane

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — government
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. game — wild animals
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kid — child
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. game — a match
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bat — the animal

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