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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: race · pop · mark · track · temple · chest · lean · jam

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. race — humankind
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pop — soda
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. track — a path
  13. pop — music
  14. track — a song
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. race — a contest
  19. pop — to visit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. chest — of your body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chest — a box

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