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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: charge · mine · board · fork · hand · race · temple · squash

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. charge — a price
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. charge — electricity
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. race — humankind
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. race — a contest
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. board — a committee
  17. charge — in control
  18. squash — the sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — for digging
  22. race — the arms race
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — belonging to me

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