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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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Word bank
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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: temple · last · nail · wake · wind · file · season · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wake — a trail
  3. last — to go on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a document
  8. last — final
  9. file — a line of people
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chip — to eat

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