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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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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: rock · racket · wind · temple · pit · leaves · toast · march

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. leaves — of a tree

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