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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 120 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: mine · march · suit · fine · temple · pop · wind · arm

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — high quality
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. suit — clothes
  9. fine — all right
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pop — music
  15. march — music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pop — soda
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. arm — part of the body

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