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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: game · race · rest · bat · net · saw · face · deal

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — the arms race
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — a break
  11. face — part of the head
  12. race — humankind
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — a contest
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — a match
  24. bat — in an idiom

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