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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ball — a dance
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. race — a contest
  8. charge — in control
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. charge — a price
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. stock — shares
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — humankind
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — rain
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — goods

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