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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · hide · ground · fine · track · race · bat · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — a path
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — a song
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fine — high quality
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fine — all right
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — the earth
  18. race — a contest
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ground — crushed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — humankind

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