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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: squash · fall · foot · race · roll · content · lean · fan

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. race — humankind
  3. roll — a list
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — thin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — the amount
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fall — the season
  15. race — a contest
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. squash — the sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fan — to cool the air

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