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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. kick — in football
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. race — a contest
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. race — humankind
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. face — to confront
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. race — the arms race

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