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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: rock · face · fine · cell · race · game · ground · kick

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. race — humankind
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — to confront
  6. cell — in biology
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rock — music
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — in football
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ground — crushed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cell — a phone
  19. game — wild animals
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fine — high quality
  24. game — a match

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