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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. key — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — final
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — for a lock
  15. degree — temperature
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. race — humankind
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. date — the fruit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. last — to go on
  24. degree — an amount

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