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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — a grade
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — the arms race
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — hasty
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — a series
  22. race — humankind
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — a place of worship

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