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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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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. race — a contest
  3. present — a gift
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bank — for money
  7. club — a group
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. present — the time now
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. club — for golf
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bank — of a river
  18. present — there
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bank — for money

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