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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — a position
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — a contest
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kid — child
  17. land — ground
  18. race — the arms race
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. staff — a stick
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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