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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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468
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. race — the arms race
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — humankind
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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