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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. squash — the sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pound — a weight
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. race — humankind
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — a contest
  24. wave — with your hand

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