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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: cabinet · march · stock · mate · pitcher · bound · present · temple

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. present — a gift
  11. bound — obliged
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — tied together
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — a friend
  22. present — the time now
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bound — certain

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