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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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. bowl — a football final
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — in football
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. root — the cause
  22. race — humankind
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kick — a thrill

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