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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kid — to tease
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — a contest
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — in cards
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — to confront
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kid — child
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — a weight
  24. face — part of the head

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