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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: pitcher · spell · bore · file · temple · swing · field · key

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — music
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spell — a short time
  6. key — in music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a document
  12. swing — to play on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — farmland
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — to tire
  19. field — for sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bore — to drill
  23. field — a subject
  24. spell — letters

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