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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: cap · cold · temple · perch · march · arm · mark · bowl

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mark — a trace
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cold — an illness
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bowl — a dish

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