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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: tear · temple · craft · race · mate · court

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. race — humankind
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — to breed
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of a king
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mate — a partner
  13. race — a contest
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mate — a friend
  16. court — of law
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — for sport

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