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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. race — humankind
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. staff — a stick
  11. content — happy
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — the amount
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pass — a permit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — from a university
  24. staff — employees

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