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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: mate · staff · chest · pound · pop · saw · march · temple

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. chest — a box
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. staff — a stick
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pop — to visit
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — the month
  21. pound — a weight
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — of your body
  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