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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: mine · kid · board · fork · mate · spell · pop · temple

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mine — for digging
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — a short time
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pop — soda
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spell — magic
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. board — to get on
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pop — to visit
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mine — belonging to me

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