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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: last · race · bat · mark · sharp · swing · club · face

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. face — part of the head
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — finally
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. sharp — clever
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — the arms race
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. club — a group
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. club — for golf
  19. swing — music
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. race — a contest
  23. swing — to play on
  24. club — for dancing

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