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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.

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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: rule · temple · bat · foot · cap · trunk · firm · march

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — the month
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. firm — a company
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. firm — steady
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. foot — a measure
  20. march — music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. firm — decided
  24. trunk — of a car

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