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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — the month
  3. race — humankind
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. race — a contest
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cap — a hat

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