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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — a contest
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bass — low music
  19. kick — in football
  20. cue — a signal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — a supporter

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