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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. shower — rain
  3. game — a match
  4. chest — a box
  5. face — to point toward
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — part of the head
  22. shower — to wash
  23. game — wild animals
  24. face — to confront

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