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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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. bass — the instrument
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. race — a contest
  7. fine — all right
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — high quality
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. fall — the season
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — low music
  21. pop — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. race — humankind
  24. pop — to visit

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