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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — a stone
  4. key — the most important part
  5. file — a tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — money
  8. key — in music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. suit — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a line of people
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. suit — to fit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rock — music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. suit — clothes

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