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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — humankind
  15. branch — a division
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — of ice
  19. race — a contest
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fan — a supporter

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