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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mug — a face
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — of a king
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — a song
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. track — a path
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. court — for sport

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