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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: date · swing · temple · drill · race · current · track · pound

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — of water
  9. swing — music
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — a path
  12. current — happening now
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. race — humankind
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pound — a weight
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — electric
  22. race — the arms race
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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