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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — humankind
  3. kick — in football
  4. race — a contest
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — a coil
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — the season
  19. chair — a leader
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — to confront

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