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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. capital — money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a leader
  23. track — a path
  24. straw — dry grass

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