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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: pit · temple · race · march · mark · hand · game · rush

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mark — a trace
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pit — a hole
  13. game — a match
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — 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