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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — child
  5. race — the arms race
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — a path
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. race — humankind
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. charge — a price
  17. kid — to tease
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — to keep track
  21. charge — in control
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. deal — to handle

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