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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 · mate · roll · rest · march · net · cabinet · pitch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. roll — a list
  11. net — after costs
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitch — completely

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