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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. race — the arms race
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. toast — bread
  12. bulb — for light
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — humankind
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  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