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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: perch · stock · ball · nail · bound · temple · file · last

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a document
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stock — shares
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — goods
  24. last — final

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