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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 · toast · race · dip · pass · face · deal · ball

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — to confront
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. game — a match
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — part of the head
  8. dip — to sink
  9. face — to point toward
  10. toast — bread
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. race — humankind
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. race — a contest
  16. deal — to handle
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pass — a permit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. race — the arms race
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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