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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. object — to protest
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — an aim
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — a thing
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — music

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