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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: sharp · deal · bear · chip · hide · squash · file · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chip — to eat
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — side of the head

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