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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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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — to keep track
  4. race — a contest
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a document
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — crushed
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ground — a position
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — a song

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