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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. race — a contest
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. face — part of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. face — to confront
  10. race — humankind
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — the fruit
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. present — there
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — after costs
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — a gift
  23. face — to point toward
  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