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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: sharp · race · lie · wind · spring · face · safe · drill

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. race — a contest
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spring — the season
  10. lie — to recline
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spring — a coil
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — a practice

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