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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.

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 · ground · temple · pop · row · mug · rest · straw

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. row — a line
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — soda
  23. march — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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