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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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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 · file · wound · racket · spring · rest · safe · mate

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — what's left
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a partner
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to point toward
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — a break
  19. mate — a friend
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spring — the season
  24. safe — a strongbox

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