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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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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: rash · race · hand · deal · season · mate · face · bound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. rash — hasty
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — of the year
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — in cards
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to confront
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mate — a partner
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — to breed

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