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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: race · nail · rush · safe · temple · ground · shower · fan

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — a position
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — a contest
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ground — crushed
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. race — humankind

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