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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: stand · chest · last · mouse · march · ball · arm · band

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — the month
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a great time
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stand — to bear
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. march — music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. last — finally
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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