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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · rash · spell · bat · hide · march · present · mine

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — letters
  7. march — music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spell — a short time
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — a gift
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — there

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