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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: tube · calf · cold · safe · racket · snap · face · race

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. face — part of the head
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. race — a contest
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — humankind
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — the arms race
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to click
  22. cold — not warm
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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