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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — a hat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. race — a contest
  18. tube — a container

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