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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. object — to protest
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. roll — a list
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — an aim
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. roll — a cake
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bore — to tire
  18. race — a contest
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. bore — to drill
  22. object — a thing
  23. court — of law
  24. last — to go on

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