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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. key — for a lock
  3. march — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. present — there
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — the underground
  8. club — for dancing
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — a container
  12. key — the most important part
  13. club — a group
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — in a road
  21. present — the time now
  22. club — for golf
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. march — the month

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