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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
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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: leaves · sharp · rest · rush · temple · march · saw · content

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rest — what's left
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. sharp — clever
  14. march — music
  15. content — the amount
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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