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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — the season
  4. race — the arms race
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bank — of a river
  7. race — humankind
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. race — a contest
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bank — for money
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bank — for money
  22. spring — of water
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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