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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: season · cell · hand · stick · race · face · jam · deal

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. face — to point toward
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. race — humankind
  10. face — to confront
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. race — a contest
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — in sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — in cards

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