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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. march — music
  10. object — to protest
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. object — an aim
  24. wound — an injury

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