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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 · charge · chest · firm · pitch · march · spring · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chest — a box
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — steady
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. pitch — completely
  24. firm — a company

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