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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. race — humankind
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — a permit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. snap — to click
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — child
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. race — a contest
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. scale — size or range
  21. race — the arms race
  22. scale — in music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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