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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mug — a face
  7. court — of law
  8. race — a contest
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — an amount
  12. last — final
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — to rob
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lean — to bend

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