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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. track — a path
  3. mine — for digging
  4. craft — boats
  5. track — to keep track
  6. race — humankind
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — a song
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. root — of a word
  19. race — a contest
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. craft — a skill
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. root — the cause
  24. race — the arms race

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