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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. present — a gift
  6. rash — hasty
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — humankind
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. present — there
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. present — the time now
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rash — a series

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