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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spell — letters
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spell — a short time
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a document
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — magic
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. file — a tool
  23. club — for dancing
  24. nail — for a hammer

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