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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.

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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 · race · club · game · root · march · last · arm

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. game — a match
  3. march — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — wild animals
  9. march — the month
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. race — the arms race
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — humankind
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. club — for golf
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — a group
  21. last — finally
  22. root — the cause
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for dancing

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