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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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 — humankind
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. board — a committee
  7. race — a contest
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. board — to get on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spring — of water
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. swing — music

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