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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: arm · chest · board · pound · bound · file · mate · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. file — a line of people
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. mate — a friend
  13. board — a committee
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — a song
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — a path
  19. chest — of your body
  20. file — a document
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bound — obliged
  24. arm — part of the body

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