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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: race · net · kid · content · fan · mug · hide · fall

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — to tease
  4. race — humankind
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — the season
  7. mug — to rob
  8. net — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — a contest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — for catching
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — child
  16. net — after costs
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. content — happy
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mug — a cup

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