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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: temple · march · sharp · land · shower · bass · pit · pound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. march — music
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — ground
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — to come down
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. land — a country
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. march — the month
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bass — the instrument

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