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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pit · mine · firm · rash · scale · bat · fan

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — for digging
  9. race — a contest
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rash — hasty
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. scale — in music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. race — humankind
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. firm — a company

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