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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. toast — bread
  8. game — a match
  9. rash — hasty
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rash — a series
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mouse — for a computer

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