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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: hide · rest · race · key · temple · capital · march · face

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — part of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — in music
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. key — the most important part
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — the month
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — to point toward
  19. race — a contest
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. face — to confront
  23. capital — a city
  24. temple — a place of worship

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