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

Word bank: race · chip · ball · march · squash · fan · fall · stick

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — the month
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — the season
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — a contest
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — humankind
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — music

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