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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — to paddle
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. key — for a lock
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — a line
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. hand — in cards
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. hand — help
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. leaves — to go away

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