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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 · mark · temple · face · shower · root · band · court

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. band — a ring
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — rain
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mark — a trace
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. root — the cause
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to point toward
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — to wash
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — of law
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. face — part of the head
  22. race — the arms race
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. root — of a word

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