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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — clever
  4. march — the month
  5. net — in sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hand — in cards
  8. game — a match
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — after costs
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — a trace
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a grade
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a kind of play

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