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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: club · bay · race · sharp · temple · cell

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. race — a contest
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cell — a phone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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