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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — electric
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — humankind
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — happening now
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — of water
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lean — to rest against

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