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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 120 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: cell · march · pitcher · temple · bank · fine · bowl · content

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — happy
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fine — all right
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bank — of a river

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