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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 124 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. roll — a list
  4. mark — a grade
  5. dip — to sink
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — a contest
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. deal — an agreement

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