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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — in football
  4. chip — for betting
  5. race — a contest
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — to eat
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. race — humankind
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. squash — the vegetable

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