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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: temple · key · tube · pound · tear · race · safe · clip

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pound — a weight
  9. clip — to cut
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — a container
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — a contest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. key — the most important part
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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