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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 120 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: safe · board · face · band · pop · sharp · race · cold

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to confront
  7. sharp — clever
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pop — to visit
  14. race — humankind
  15. band — a music group
  16. cold — not warm
  17. race — a contest
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. board — to get on
  24. cold — the Cold War

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