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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: fan · tube · toast · lean · race · face · ruler · club

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. toast — bread
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. club — a group
  14. tube — a container
  15. lean — to bend
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lean — thin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. race — humankind

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