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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: hide · arm · march · scale · ground · bowl · tube · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — a position
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. march — the month
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — a box
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ground — crushed

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