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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — to come down
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. land — a country
  11. charge — in control
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a music group
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — a break
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a ring

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