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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: date · race · jam · temple · cue · craft · drill · fork

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — boats
  6. cue — a hint
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. craft — a skill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — a signal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cue — for pool
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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