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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: saw · ruler · march · sharp · temple · cold · ball · cabinet

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — an illness
  5. march — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — the month
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ball — a dance
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — the month

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