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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: bowl · bat · fine · fall · mark · march · roll · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — a grade
  7. march — the month
  8. roll — a list
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. march — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — high quality

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