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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — a skill
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. race — a contest
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — the arms race
  23. craft — boats
  24. staff — a stick

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