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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: temple · race · wind · squash · march · roll · track · content

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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 — the arms race
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. squash — the sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — music
  9. track — a path
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — the month
  14. content — happy
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. race — a contest
  19. roll — a list
  20. race — humankind
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — a song
  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