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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. race — a contest
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. rest — what's left
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rest — what's left
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — a break
  18. race — the arms race
  19. net — for catching
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — humankind

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