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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 120 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: face · dip · chip · straw · race · degree · rash · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. face — to confront
  6. degree — from a university
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — a contest
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — hasty
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rash — a series
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — humankind
  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