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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · rash · pound · last · mark · board · arm · clip

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — to go on
  3. board — a committee
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ground — a position
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — finally
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mark — a trace
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — for paper
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — to get on
  19. ground — crushed
  20. clip — a video
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — final
  24. pound — for dogs

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