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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · temple · ball · race · charge · chest · sharp · bear

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. charge — electricity
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. clip — a video
  13. race — a contest
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chest — a box
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. charge — in control
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — a price
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. clip — for paper

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