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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: rash · fan · can · drill · lie · coach · pound · race

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. race — humankind
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. race — a contest
  13. rash — a series
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. race — the arms race
  19. can — a tin
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. drill — a practice

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