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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — a match
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — a contest
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rest — a break
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — humankind
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — a safe

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