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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · plane · mine · cold · ball · bound · key · march

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bound — certain
  3. ball — a great time
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. march — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bound — tied together
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. key — for a lock
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — the month
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — in music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. key — the most important part
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. plane — a tool

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