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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — the season
  9. object — a thing
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. foot — a measure
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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