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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. march — the month
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — final
  10. march — music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bass — the instrument

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