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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · last · fine · mug · rash · temple · racket · file

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fine — all right
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — to go on
  9. rash — a series
  10. last — finally
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mug — to rob
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fine — high quality
  24. last — final

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