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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: wave · mate · ball · rule · race · fall · fork · face

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. race — a contest
  3. rule — a law
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — government
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — to confront
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — humankind
  24. fork — to eat with

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