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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mug — a cup
  3. kid — child
  4. mug — a face
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mark — a trace
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. race — a contest
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. race — humankind
  18. file — a document
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kid — to tease
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mug — to rob
  24. race — the arms race

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