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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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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: net · kick · rest · mug · race · bat · roll · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rest — what's left
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mug — a face
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. roll — a list
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — humankind
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rest — a break
  22. kick — in football
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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