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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — a position
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fall — to drop
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — crushed
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. march — music

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