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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: date · scale · kick · race · key · band · root · face

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to confront
  3. band — a music group
  4. kick — in football
  5. date — the fruit
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. face — part of the head
  16. race — the arms race
  17. root — of a word
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. face — to point toward
  20. key — in music
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. scale — size or range
  23. key — the most important part
  24. date — on the calendar

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