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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: race · club · toast · temple · cold · pitcher · lie · row

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. row — a line
  3. toast — bread
  4. race — the arms race
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — a contest
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cold — not warm
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. row — to paddle
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. cold — an illness
  23. club — for dancing
  24. toast — the most admired

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