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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: deal · swing · temple · present · last · fork

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fork — in a road
  9. last — final
  10. swing — music
  11. present — a gift
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. present — there
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. swing — to play on
  18. present — the time now

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