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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: march · file · wind · pass · pit · cabinet · spring · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a document

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