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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: present · craft · temple · pit · perch · march · race · charge

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. charge — electricity
  4. race — a contest
  5. craft — a skill
  6. present — there
  7. perch — the fish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. charge — a price
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. race — humankind
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. charge — in control
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. present — the time now
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — the month

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