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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 · face · bowl · calf · jam · cabinet · pit · sharp

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. sharp — clever
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pit — a hole
  19. race — a contest
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — the arms race
  24. sharp — exactly

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