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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — a trail
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rule — government
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. rule — a law
  14. row — a line
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bound — tied together
  18. row — to paddle
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — to hurry

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