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

Word bank: bowl · race · stem · face · deal · rest

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. race — the arms race
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stem — to come from
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward

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