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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: temple · swing · fork · rock · chip · bay · key · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chip — for betting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. swing — to play on
  6. key — for a lock
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rock — music
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. last — to go on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. swing — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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