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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cue — a signal
  5. race — humankind
  6. tube — a container
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — a contest
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cue — a hint
  14. capital — money
  15. race — the arms race
  16. capital — a city
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — a big letter

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