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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · pop · face · rule · wind · race

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. face — to point toward
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a path
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. face — part of the head
  13. race — a contest
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a song
  18. pop — music

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