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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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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 · march · stick · pitcher · board · wake · rest

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — a committee
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rest — a break
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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