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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: ground · snap · chair · nail · mate · lie · temple · file

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. file — a tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ground — the earth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lie — to recline
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. snap — to click

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