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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of a king
  5. rule — a law
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. race — the arms race
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chest — of your body
  18. court — of law
  19. chest — a box
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. race — a contest

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