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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: bank · mark · temple · sharp · march · ball · mate · bass

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bank — for money
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bank — of a river
  14. march — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ball — a dance
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — clever

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