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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
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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: board · chair · march · chest · ground · kick · plane · pop

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chest — a box
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — in football
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pop — music
  14. plane — a tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chair — a leader

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