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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — humankind
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a lid
  18. track — a song
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — a video
  22. cap — of ice
  23. track — a path
  24. clip — for paper

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