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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: fall · face · bank · snap · racket · bay · race · last

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. snap — to click
  5. last — final
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bank — of a river
  9. last — finally
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — a contest
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. race — humankind
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. race — the arms race
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fall — the season

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