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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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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: fork · spring · bay · roll · sharp · mouse · pit · temple

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. roll — a list
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pit — a hole
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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