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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kick — in football
  12. race — humankind
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. race — a contest
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cap — of ice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cap — a lid
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. toast — bread
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — in a road

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