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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 · bound · temple · court · pitch · bank · sharp · file

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitch — completely
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. file — a document
  16. court — for sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bound — certain
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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