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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 · current · bass · mark · board · kick · tear · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. bass — low music
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — of your body
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. mark — a grade
  22. march — music
  23. board — a committee
  24. tear — to rip

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