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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: race · face · band · present · perch · board · temple · current

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. race — the arms race
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. band — a ring
  9. race — humankind
  10. band — a music group
  11. present — the time now
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. current — electric
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. race — a contest
  21. board — to get on
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — for a bird

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