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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: bear · bay · file · last · temple · object · cold · mate

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cold — an illness
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. object — to protest
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — finally
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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