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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: tear · bass · race · rash · face · fork · vault · foot

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — a series
  4. vault — a safe
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. race — humankind
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. race — a contest
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. foot — a measure

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