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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · land · sharp · rest · march · fork · temple · staff

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. rest — a break
  12. fork — in a road
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. march — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — a place of worship

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