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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ball — a dance
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. clip — for paper
  9. race — humankind
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — of a king
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. clip — a video
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. arm — a part of something

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