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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: race · stick · scale · file · temple · key · saw · present

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. present — the time now
  6. key — in music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. file — a line of people
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. key — for a lock
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. file — a document
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. race — humankind
  16. scale — in music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. present — there
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. scale — size or range

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