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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 · stand · lie · dip · fan · chair · rule · object

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — a thing
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. race — a contest
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — humankind
  10. rule — government
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stand — to bear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rule — a law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. object — to protest
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chair — a leader
  24. object — an aim

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