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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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Word bank
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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — happy
  8. court — for sport
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. toast — bread
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. race — a contest
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — humankind
  24. wake — before a funeral

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