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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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 confront
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — not warm
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bank — for money
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. race — humankind
  22. face — to point toward
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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