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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. staff — employees
  9. march — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month

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