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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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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: bore · march · pit · chest · temple · swing · fall · season

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. season — of the year
  18. pit — in a race
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — music
  23. march — the month
  24. pit — a hole

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