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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 120 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: fine · chip · last · spell · drill · bank · temple · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. last — final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fine — high quality
  16. last — to go on
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spell — magic
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — to eat
  24. drill — army training

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