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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pass — a permit
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. club — for golf
  13. root — of a word
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. drill — a practice
  16. root — of a plant
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. march — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — army training
  24. club — a group

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