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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: march · pound · rest · file · sharp · board · cap · temple

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a lid
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — a weight
  7. march — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — a break
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. file — a document
  12. march — the month
  13. board — to get on
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cap — a hat
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — the month
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a line of people
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. file — a tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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