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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · lash · firm · cell · present · race

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. firm — a company
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. present — the time now
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cell — a phone
  9. race — a contest
  10. firm — steady
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. present — a gift
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. firm — decided
  18. race — humankind

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