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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: cap · temple · last · band · march · rest · lie · chip

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. last — to go on
  5. band — a ring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. march — music
  12. band — a music group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lie — to recline
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — of ice
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — a lid
  20. last — final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chip — in a computer

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