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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: ball · charge · arm · march · chest · sharp · nail · object

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. charge — a price
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — an aim
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — the month
  12. charge — electricity
  13. object — a thing
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. charge — in control
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a great time

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