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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a ring
  6. race — a contest
  7. season — of the year
  8. race — humankind
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — a gift
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. band — a music group
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. object — to protest
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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