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

Word bank: march · fork · cold · temple · patient · ruler · mate · net

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — after costs
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fork — in a road
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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