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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
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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: file · bore · capital · race · temple · present · saw · fan

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — to drill
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a document
  5. present — there
  6. race — the arms race
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — humankind
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. capital — a city

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