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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pit — in a race
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a music group
  11. pit — a hole
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. shower — rain
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — in sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. race — humankind
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. band — a ring

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