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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — a break
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — a hint
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — a match
  17. race — humankind
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cue — for pool
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — boats
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — music

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