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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: rule · court · cell · bear · race · kid · lash · face

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — of law
  4. race — a contest
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to confront
  9. race — the arms race
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — part of the head
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kid — child
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rule — a law
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rule — government
  24. face — to point toward

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