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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — final
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — to go on
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. file — a document
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — finally

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