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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ball — a great time
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ball — a dance
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. race — a contest
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. land — a country
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. race — humankind
  24. stand — to bear

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