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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · fan · land · wound · race · temple · court · current

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — of law
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — electric
  8. land — ground
  9. court — for sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — of water
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. race — a contest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — happening now
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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