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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — ground
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cue — a hint
  12. present — there
  13. cue — a signal
  14. present — the time now
  15. land — a country
  16. race — humankind
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. present — a gift
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. race — the arms race

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