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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. race — humankind
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. can — to be able to
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kick — in football
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. race — a contest

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