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

Word bank: temple · tear · race · bowl · rest · snap

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tear — to rip
  9. race — a contest
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — the arms race
  14. snap — to click
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — side of the head

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