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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. race — a contest
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — of water
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spring — the season
  17. fall — the season
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. temple — a place of worship

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