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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 120 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: ground · file · sharp · march · mark · fine · arm · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. file — a tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. ground — a position
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. file — a line of people
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — a penalty

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