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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. content — happy
  13. firm — a company
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — humankind
  18. firm — decided
  19. race — the arms race
  20. content — the amount
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. race — a contest

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