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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 120 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: race · bay · swing · patient · pound · temple · scale · fork

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. swing — to play on
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. race — a contest
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. swing — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pound — a weight
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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