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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — final
  4. race — humankind
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. key — in music
  12. club — for golf
  13. chip — to eat
  14. key — for a lock
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — finally
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — side of the head

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