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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. race — the arms race
  6. press — newspapers
  7. race — humankind
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. current — electric
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — of water
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mate — a friend
  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