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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — army training
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. kid — child
  16. club — a group
  17. race — a contest
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — of water
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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