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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. plane — a tool
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. spring — a coil
  14. dip — to sink
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — the season
  24. plane — in geometry

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