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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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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: cell · sharp · cap · race · wound · scale · stand · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cell — in biology
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — a contest
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stand — to bear
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. scale — in music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. sharp — clever

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