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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: land · rest · key · fan · temple · hide · mate · march

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. land — a country
  5. rest — a break
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — the month
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — in music
  24. rest — what's left

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