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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: current · temple · hand · lean · chair · object · march · scale

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. march — the month
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lean — thin
  12. march — music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lean — to bend
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — in cards
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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