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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — of a river
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — to recline
  8. court — of a king
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. race — the arms race
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spring — of water
  20. bank — for money
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. court — for sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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