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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: temple · foot · trunk · sharp · net · race · march · cap

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. march — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — the month
  7. net — for catching
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — in sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — a measure
  14. sharp — clever
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. race — the arms race
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. march — the month
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — side of the head

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