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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: face · arm · foot · lie · race · bowl · mine · mark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — humankind
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — a contest
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. face — to point toward
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lie — to recline
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mark — a trace

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