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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · charge · cell · chair · ground · race

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. race — a contest
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. race — humankind
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cell — in biology
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cell — a phone
  16. charge — in control
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth

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