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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: straw · chair · rush · race · ground · temple · mate · object

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. object — a thing
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — hurry
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mate — a partner
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ground — a position
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. race — the arms race
  22. object — an aim
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rush — a thrill

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