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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · net · race · pitcher · jam · plane · root · rush

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — humankind
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. net — for catching
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. race — the arms race
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — a tool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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