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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — humankind
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. craft — boats
  6. race — a contest
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mate — a partner
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — a friend
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kid — to tease
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kid — child
  23. season — in sport
  24. race — the arms race

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