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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — a contest
  8. press — a publisher
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fine — high quality
  12. present — there
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. present — the time now
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bowl — a football final

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