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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hand — help
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a ring
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. temple — side of the head

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