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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: straw · march · bank · bay · drill · chair · temple · present

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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 — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. drill — army training
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. drill — a practice
  13. present — the time now
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. drill — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — of a river
  21. present — a gift
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. present — there
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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