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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 · present · safe · swing · face · bat · sharp · bay

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. present — a gift
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — the animal
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — a contest
  18. swing — to play on
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. present — there
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. present — the time now

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