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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: key · kid · temple · spring · pop · race · plane · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. key — for a lock
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. key — in music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — of water
  11. pop — to visit
  12. plane — a tool
  13. file — a tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. spring — the season
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. file — a document
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — music

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