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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 116 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: kick · bowl · race · field · face · season · staff · hide

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. season — in sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — humankind
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. staff — a stick
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. staff — employees
  21. kick — in football
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. race — a contest
  24. hide — to keep secret

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