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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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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: perch · drill · fall · temple · lash · club · race · rest

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — army training
  6. club — for dancing
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. perch — the fish
  13. club — for golf
  14. race — humankind
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — what's left
  21. drill — the tool
  22. club — a group
  23. race — a contest
  24. perch — for a bird

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