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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: race · mate · kid · ground · bulb · temple · firm · tear

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — steady
  3. mate — a friend
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ground — the earth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — humankind
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — to breed
  11. firm — a company
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — from crying
  16. firm — decided
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bulb — for light
  20. race — a contest
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kid — child
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ground — a position

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