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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · season · row · file · hand · can · rash · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rash — a series
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. file — a tool
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hand — help
  7. season — of the year
  8. can — to be able to
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a line of people
  24. temple — a place of worship

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