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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — the arms race
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — humankind
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. face — to point toward
  21. race — a contest
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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