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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. net — for catching
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. face — to confront
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. race — humankind
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. race — a contest
  23. kid — child
  24. race — the arms race

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