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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — a contest
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. fall — the season
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — hasty
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kick — a thrill

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