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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — a path
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bank — of a river
  7. rest — a break
  8. track — a song
  9. race — the arms race
  10. key — in music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. race — a contest
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bank — for money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. key — the most important part
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. race — humankind
  24. perch — for a bird

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