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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 · mine · deal · straw · roll · date · chip · march

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. roll — a list
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. deal — to handle
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chip — for betting
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chip — to eat
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. march — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. date — the fruit

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