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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mine · fan · jam · squash · safe · last · bank

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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 — a supporter
  2. last — to go on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — final
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. squash — the sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mine — for digging
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. race — a contest
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — finally
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bank — of a river
  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