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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: temple · chip · file · cold · foot · pit · plane · last

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. last — final
  13. cold — an illness
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pit — a hole
  19. last — finally
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chip — to eat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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