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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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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: land · rule · bowl · degree · safe · race · staff · face

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rule — a law
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. staff — a stick
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. face — to point toward
  16. degree — an amount
  17. land — ground
  18. face — part of the head
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — government
  23. race — a contest
  24. bowl — to roll

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