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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — a series
  8. race — humankind
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rash — hasty
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. race — a contest
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — soda
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. file — a tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — to cool the air

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