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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: march · fork · capital · pass · scale · lash · file · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — money
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — in music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. march — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. capital — a city
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a document

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