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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — the arms race
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — letters
  9. race — humankind
  10. club — a group
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. spell — magic
  15. race — a contest
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. face — to point toward

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