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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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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: jam · plane · temple · mine · pit · fork · chip · last

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. last — to go on
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pit — a hole
  9. plane — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mine — belonging to me

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