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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: race · chair · temple · cue · bear · drill

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. race — a contest
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chair — a leader

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