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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: mine · date · race · snap · bowl · land · temple · calf

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — ground
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. land — a country
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to click
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. race — the arms race
  24. date — on the calendar

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