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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · temple · spell · pitcher · row · key · face · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in biology
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — letters
  14. march — the month
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — magic
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — music
  24. temple — side of the head

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