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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. race — the arms race
  3. drill — army training
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. roll — a cake
  6. fork — in a road
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — a coil
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — of water
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. race — a contest
  17. spring — the season
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — humankind
  24. fork — a garden tool

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