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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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Word bank
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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: march · rock · cabinet · present · file · foot · board · rest

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — there
  7. board — to get on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rest — a break
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — the time now
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. board — a committee
  19. file — a document
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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