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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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Word bank
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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: mug · hand · tear · race · cabinet · kid · rule · fan

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rule — a law
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — child
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rule — government
  19. mug — a face
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — to rip

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