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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fork — in a road
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. track — a path
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hand — help
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — child
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kid — to tease
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. march — music

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