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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: race · temple · club · bowl · deal · squash · tear · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — help
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — in cards
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — the sport
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. tear — to rip

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