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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. race — a contest
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — letters
  12. cue — a signal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rest — a break
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. cue — a hint
  18. race — humankind
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — from crying

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