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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: ruler · kick · bass · race · rash · wound · fan · dip

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — a series
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to sink
  19. race — a contest
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kick — in football
  24. ruler — a monarch

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