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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: race · bulb · face · firm · land · bay · chip · fall

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. firm — decided
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — a country
  7. race — a contest
  8. bulb — for light
  9. firm — a company
  10. land — to come down
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chip — to eat
  13. face — to confront
  14. race — humankind
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. land — ground
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bulb — for light

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