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

Word bank: temple · snap · cell · track · deal · race

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. track — a song
  5. race — the arms race
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. race — a contest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cell — a phone
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — in a prison

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