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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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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: leaves · race · foot · fan · nail · pit · tear · jam

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a hole
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fan — a supporter

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