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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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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. key — the most important part
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — electricity
  5. key — in music
  6. file — a tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. charge — a price
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. file — a document
  14. game — wild animals
  15. race — humankind
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — the month
  18. race — the arms race
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. march — music
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a match

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