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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 116 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: ground · mate · cabinet · face · race · band

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. band — a ring
  13. race — humankind
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — part of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — to confront

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