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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. march — the month
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — the cause
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. drill — a practice
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. march — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — army training

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