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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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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: kick · mate · march · board · kid · pound · arm · bank

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — to get on
  5. bank — for money
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. board — a committee
  8. bank — for money
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pound — a weight
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kid — child
  24. march — music

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