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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: bat · fine · stick · file · spring · object · bowl · temple

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — an aim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — high quality
  11. object — a thing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fine — all right
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. file — a 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