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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: safe · face · ball · content · row · fork · race · lash

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. fork — in a road
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. row — to paddle
  7. face — to point toward
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. content — the amount
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. row — a line
  24. face — part of the head

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