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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bound — certain
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rule — government
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. band — a ring
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — a law

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