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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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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: sharp · land · mug · band · face · track · safe · race

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. band — a ring
  3. mug — to rob
  4. track — a song
  5. land — ground
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — a cup
  8. land — a country
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. race — a contest
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — a face
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. race — humankind
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. land — to come down
  23. band — a music group
  24. race — the arms race

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