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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. swing — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bank — of a river
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. swing — to play on
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. race — humankind
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. race — a contest
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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