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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: arm · march · ball · pitcher · present · stand · cell · temple

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. march — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. present — a gift
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — to bear
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. present — the time now
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. present — there
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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