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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: lie · ground · chip · temple · cold · mate · firm · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ground — a position
  11. cold — not warm
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a partner
  16. firm — a company
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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