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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: temple · band · cabinet · march · file · rock · press · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — music
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. band — a ring
  8. file — a document
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a music group
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. press — newspapers
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. march — the month
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — to push

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