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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 · spring · ball · race · foot · chest · file · key

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a line of people
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — a contest
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chest — of your body
  24. race — humankind

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