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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: temple · season · deal · rest · march · bound · file · sharp

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — in sport
  9. bound — certain
  10. march — music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bound — obliged
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rest — a break
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — tied together

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