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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. craft — boats
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — humankind
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — for sport
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — the sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — a handicraft

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