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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: march · row · sharp · mouse · bore · temple · bound · capital

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. row — a line
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. march — the month
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — certain
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — music

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