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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
468
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: mine · temple · cap · pitcher · fork · swing · suit · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — final
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fork — in a road
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — to go on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. temple — side of the head

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