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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: ground · straw · file · march · rash · arm · temple · jam

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. march — the month
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. file — a document
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ground — the earth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. file — a line of people

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