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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. dip — to sink
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. race — humankind
  9. rule — government
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — a contest
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — the tool

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