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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mug — a cup
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — humankind
  6. track — a song
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — a path
  9. mug — to rob
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a ring
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. date — the fruit
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — to keep track
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. face — to point toward
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. arm — part of the body

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