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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rule — government
  6. face — part of the head
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. race — humankind
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bear — the animal

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