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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — child
  3. race — a contest
  4. squash — the sport
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — a friend
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — humankind
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitch — a sports field

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