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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — in a road
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. race — humankind
  9. date — the fruit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. scale — in music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. file — a document
  24. jam — in traffic

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