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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · temple · sharp · arm · last · mine · race · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. last — to go on
  3. race — a contest
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. track — a path
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — for digging
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — to keep track
  24. arm — part of the body

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