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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pop — soda
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitch — completely
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — music
  17. tube — the underground
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pop — to visit
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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