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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kid — child
  5. race — the arms race
  6. kid — to tease
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tear — to rip
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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