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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: object · march · hide · bound · net · temple · rash · pitch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — after costs
  3. object — a thing
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitch — completely
  9. object — an aim
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — obliged
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. object — to protest
  16. bound — tied together
  17. net — for catching
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. march — music
  23. bound — certain
  24. temple — side of the head

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