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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — to come down
  4. race — a contest
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. race — humankind
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — ground
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mug — a face
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — a country
  24. race — the arms race

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