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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — a contest
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cue — a signal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. game — a match
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — a phone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ruler — a monarch

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