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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. capital — a city
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — money
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rock — a stone
  19. race — humankind
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — to cool the air

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