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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 · rash · stand · temple · content · bear · kid · object

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rash — hasty
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bear — the animal
  7. object — an aim
  8. race — a contest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. content — the amount
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kid — child
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. race — the arms race
  24. kid — to tease

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