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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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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: fine · board · spell · kid · chest · track · arm · pound

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — child
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chest — a box
  9. track — a path
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. spell — magic
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — to keep track
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. fine — high quality
  20. track — a song
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. board — to get on

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