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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: bowl · racket · charge · sharp · mine · temple · race · ground

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — electricity
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mine — an explosive

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