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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — humankind
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — employees
  16. bass — the fish
  17. staff — a stick
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. staff — employees

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