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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.

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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 · suit · tear · lash · temple · file · capital · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — money
  3. race — a contest
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. foot — a measure
  8. file — a document
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. race — humankind
  11. capital — a city
  12. tear — from crying
  13. suit — to fit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — the arms race
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. foot — 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