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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a music group
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — humankind
  17. band — a ring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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