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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: bay · root · staff · fine · march · temple · club · sharp

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — music
  5. club — a group
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. root — of a plant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. root — of a word
  14. fine — all right
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for golf
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. march — the month
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. root — the cause

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