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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: hand · race · bound · mark · file · wake · fan · firm

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hand — in cards
  7. firm — steady
  8. wake — a trail
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. race — humankind
  12. hand — help
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mark — a grade
  18. race — a contest
  19. file — a tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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