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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 120 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: key · file · cap · ground · wave · last · safe · temple

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a hat
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. key — in music
  13. last — to go on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — finally
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ground — the earth

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