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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. clip — a video
  10. swing — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. swing — in golf

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