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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. track — to keep track
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bark — to shout
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. content — happy
  17. track — a path
  18. race — a contest
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. content — the amount

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