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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.

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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: mate · squash · fan · arm · stick · race · rush · bowl

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. race — humankind
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fan — to cool the air

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