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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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 — the arms race
  3. date — the fruit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. race — a contest
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. race — humankind
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kid — child

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