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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: deal · stand · saw · tube · race · net · face · last

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. race — humankind
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. last — finally
  6. face — part of the head
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. race — a contest
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. net — after costs
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. deal — to handle
  24. net — for catching

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