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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: tear · roll · rest · race · rock · temple

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rock — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rest — a break
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — a contest
  12. rock — a stone
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a cake
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rest — what's left

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