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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. firm — decided
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — in music
  6. file — a document
  7. spring — the season
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a line of people
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — electricity
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. firm — a company
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — for sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. firm — steady
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. temple — a place of worship

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