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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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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: temple · racket · spell · cue · race · last · row · sharp

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — magic
  4. cue — a signal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — final
  8. spell — a short time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — a hint
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. race — the arms race
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — clever
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. last — to go on

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