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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: temple · land · hide · race · chest · key · pit · bulb

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. key — in music
  4. race — humankind
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a hole
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. race — a contest
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chest — a box
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hide — to keep secret

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