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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: last · row · march · perch · rash · club · temple · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. perch — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — a series
  9. row — a line
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. club — for dancing
  18. march — music
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. march — the month
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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