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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: degree · lean · object · rush · jam · race · pit · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lean — to bend
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. race — humankind
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lean — thin
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. degree — temperature
  22. race — a contest
  23. degree — an amount
  24. object — a thing

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