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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: pit · ground · rule · temple · roll · mine · fine · race

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — government
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pit — a hole
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — the earth
  11. roll — a list
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — a law
  17. ground — a position
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. race — a contest
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ground — crushed

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