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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: toast · current · wind · temple · race · pound

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. toast — bread
  5. current — of water
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — electric
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — humankind
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. race — a contest

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