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

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cue — a signal
  6. march — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — a subject
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — farmland
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ball — a great time

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