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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. race — the arms race
  3. board — a committee
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — a contest
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. bass — low 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