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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: bound · race · chest · bay · ball · temple · roll · degree

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. roll — a list
  13. chest — a box
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — certain
  21. race — humankind
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — a cake

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