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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mate — a friend
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. root — the cause
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bass — low music
  13. band — a music group
  14. bass — the fish
  15. race — a contest
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mate — a partner
  24. root — of a word

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