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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. race — humankind
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rule — a law
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — to confront
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fine — all right
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kick — in football
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rest — what's left

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