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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. race — the arms race
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. face — to confront
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fine — all right
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — to wash
  20. race — humankind
  21. shower — rain
  22. race — a contest
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cold — not warm

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