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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · firm · land · race · calf · rash · racket · bat

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to point toward
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. land — a country
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. firm — steady
  14. land — ground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. race — a contest
  17. firm — a company
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. face — to confront
  22. race — humankind
  23. firm — decided
  24. rash — a series

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