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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: cue · race · fall · track · face · safe · last · arm

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. last — to go on
  2. track — a song
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. track — a path
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — a contest
  11. fall — the season
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cue — a hint
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — final
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — for pool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. face — to confront
  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