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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · swing · leaves · sharp · arm · march · chest · board

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — clever
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. swing — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — in golf
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — a box
  17. march — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — to play on
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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