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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — of water
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. race — a contest
  13. stock — shares
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stock — goods
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — humankind

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