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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — a division
  10. mark — a grade
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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