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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: rush · saw · fan · mine · pitcher · fine · tube · race

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. race — a contest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. race — humankind
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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