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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rule — government
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. race — a contest
  11. tube — a container
  12. last — final
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rule — a law
  18. mug — to rob
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. race — humankind
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — a jug

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